Cavs Spoil Bledsoe's Return in Suns Loss

The Suns needed a home win over the Cavaliers to keep pace with other Western Conference teams.

Cleveland, however, played the part in the end, coming away with the 110-101 win over Phoenix.

The outcome overshadowed the long-awaited return of Eric Bledsoe, who showed more than flashes of his former self on the way to 15 points, nine assists, three rebounds and two steals.

It wasn’t enough to overcome a first quarter that saw Cleveland outscore Phoenix 37-24, then falter in the fourth after closing a double-digit gap to two near the end of the third period. The Cavs hit 12-of-24 from three-point range, compared to the Suns’ 10-of-36 offering on the other end.

TURNING POINT

Marcus Morris' putback dunk with five seconds left in the third quarter had pulled the Suns to within two at 79-77 after starting the half down 15.

Dion Waiters responded, nailing a three-point heave at the quarter buzzer to put Cleveland back up by five.

That shot kickstarted a 10-0 Cavs run, after which the Suns never got closer than eight.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME

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QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

"Just go home, take a long, long sleep. Try to hold my baby and get some energy from him." -- a weary and beat-up Goran Dragic on his post-game plans.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Goran Dragic continued to uphold his raised standard of play, finishing with 20 points, five assists, two rebounds and two steals. He scored 11 of those points in the third quarter, a big reason why the Suns were able to make their push that period.

PHOTO OF THE NIGHT

STAT(S) OF THE NIGHT

8: the number of double-doubles Markieff Morris has this season after his 18-point, 10-rebound effort against the Cavs on Wednesday.